Getting Prepared Early Saves Money

I just went on a few news sites before starting my post, and the message so many are getting out is "Be Prepared." We have talked about being prepared for the last few years, knowing something big was going to hit the fan. We have only been given a time frame of when the economy will make it's final slide until recently, and I wonder if people have been listening [by the end of 2012]. I know most of the folks I associate with either believe it's a false alarm and are thinking optimistically or are completely clueless, so they haven't done a thing.

How can you begin to prepare for what seems to be inevitable?

• Create a plan for what food you need to put away, then find them on sale.
• Give a serious consideration to canning meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Begin a search of your local thrift shops for canning jars, and unused boxes of rings and/or seals. If you've done your menu planning for 6 months, you'll see that's one heap of canning jars you'll need. Buying them used will save you about $3+ a box.
• Begin to look for canned goods sales in store sales flier, so that you can purchase one or two of your emergency food purchases for six months in one shopping trip.
• While jar hunting, look for a second pressure canner. If you can't afford to put out for another canner, "go halves" with a friend.
• Give some forethought to where you'll place your pantry overflow. You may need to clear out a storage area and begin selling stuff on eBay or Craigslist. Perhaps the extra cash will help you bring in more cash for your emergency food or pay down on debt.
• Don't overlook bar soap, deodorant, and clothes detergent. Clothes detergent uses petroleum products, so it will surely raise in price.
• Need a set of tires? Tires are also made of petroleum and raises with fuel costs. If you can't put out the cash for new tires, there are used tire businesses.
• If burritos are on your menu plan, it's difficult to find a tortilla press in thrift shops, or WalMart and Target. A link has been provided below.